Delaney raises at least $739K

March 15, 2012|By John Fritze, The Baltimore Sun

Democratic businessman John Delaney will report raising at least $739,000 in the past two and a half months, a sizable haul for the political newcomer whose campaign for Maryland's 6th Congressional District appears to be gaining momentum.

Though Delaney contributed to his own campaign in the final quarter of last year, an aide said that the new figure represents only money raised from donors. The Potomac financer has been running television and radio ads for weeks and recently won endorsements from former President Bill Clinton, The Washington Post and state Comptroller Peter Franchot.

It's not yet clear how the number compares with fundraising from other candidates in recent months. Congressional candidates have until March 22 to file pre-primary campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission, the last such report before the April 3 primary.

The reporting period runs from the beginning of the year through this past Wednesday.

Numbers for another leading candidate in the Democratic primary, state Sen. Rob Garagiola, were not immediately available.

Five Democrats are battling for the party's nomination for the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. The 10-term incumbent has had lackluster fundraising in past years but stepped up his effort in the final three months of 2011, raising $104,490.